-middle-ton



2 Sheets--Sheet 1. B. CARY.

L M l D D L E T 0 N l8L l R ai I ro ald S w i t c h Patented Oct. 19, 1875-.

N o. l 6 9 ,021 .A

V N GR- game@ (3% A WITNESSES @i ff;

ATToRrflEYs' N. PETERS, FNDTO-IJTHOGRAFHEH, WASHINGTON, D

' LEONARDMDDL `To all whom fit may c0izcera:`

Be it known that we, LEONARD MIDDLE- TON and JAuEs B. CARY, ot' Victor, in the county of lowa and State ot' Iowa, have in- 'vented a new and valuable Improvement in Railroad-Switches; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ol' the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specilication, and to the letters and gures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 ot' the drawings is a representation of a plan view ot' our railroad-switch, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional viewthereot'. Fig. 3 is a pla-n view, and Fig. 4 a side view, part sectional.

This invention has relation to improvements in railroad-switches; and it consists in the arrangement and novel construction of the various devices employed, whereby the necessity of using frogs is done away with, and other useful results obtained, as will be hereinaftei more fully set fort-h and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, the letter A represents the rails of the main track; A', the rails forming the continuation thereof; C, those ot' the right siding, and D those ot' the left siding, all of which are secured to the cross-ties lil in the usual well-known manner. rlhe inner rails C D of the sidings converge gradually toward those A ofthe continuation ofthe main track, but do not come in contact therewith. F represents a number of segmental rails, rigidly secured to the cross-ties E at a suitable distance apart, which rails are concentrically-arranged with reference to each other, and are designed to serve as guides or bearin gs t'or flat metallic plates Gr, to which the rails H of the main htrack-switch, and those I and I of the right and left sidingswitch, are designed to be secured. The ends of rails H and I l next the main track-rails A are rigidly secured -to a strong metallic plate, J, in the nature ot' a turn-table, which is pivoted, by means of a suitable bolt, a, to a collar, b, which is also ot' metal, rigidly secured to the ties, as shown in Fie'. 2. By this means the Vrails H, I, and 1 are allowed to have an easy equable horizontal vibration to the right and left, so that the rails H ot' the t iMRBeaEraEaT IN RAILRQA faire switch may be brought in `li`rie`witlr thoseA A-ot` the main track, thus allowing a train to proceed in a straight line, or the rails I l with those C D ot' the right and lett siding.

In practice, plate J will also be supported by a segmental rail, F, arranged near the ends ofthe main track-rails A, so that the main and the siding switch-rails will be adequately supported, and all danger otl a tra-iu' leaving the track because ot'a broken rail be et't'ectually obviated. As shown in Fig. l, the ends ot' the switch-rails abut snugly against those ot` the main track and siding-rails without the use ot' frogs or other similar devices; this effect being due to the factthat the said rails terminate in an arc drawn with the pivot ce as a center, and the longer arm otl the said rails as a radius, the ends ot' the rails A of the continuation ot' the main track and those C l) ot' the sidings being also laid on a concave arc drawn with the same radius. The switch will be operated in the following manner,'to wit: A rack-bar, J', will be pivot-ally connected with one of slides G and mesh with the teeth ot' a pinion, b', having its bearings in standards c erected at one side ofthe track. Pinion b will receive motion through the medium ot` gear-wheels d dl, the former ot' which is keyed upon the end ofthe shalt ot' the said pinion, and the latter upon a second shat't arranged above it, and ot' a crank-arm, e, on the end otl the upper shaft. According as the crank-arm is worked the pinion d will draw the switch toward or thrust it away from the standards o, thus causing them to be thrown in line with the continuation ot' the main track-rails, or with those ot' the sidings, as the case may be. In order that the switch may bey automatically locked and stopped ou coming in' line with either the main track or sidings a bar, K, having upon its under side a number ot' notches, t', equal to the number ol' changes to be made, is pivoted to rack-bar J' and extends over the shaft of pinion b between standards c, as shown. As the switch is changed from one track to the other the lock-bar K will, upon the completion ot' such a change, receive the shat't in one ot its notches t, thereby holding the switch rigidly in place until it is released by the raising ofthe said bar clear of the shat'tj ot' pinion b.

In order that this may be conveniently acl y complished, I employ a treadle, L, pivoted at v to a tie, and extendingnnder and beyond shaft j, in close contact with lock-bar K, so when itis operatedit will raise the latter free of the shaft j, and allow the switch to b further changed. 4 f y What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railroad-switch the combinatiomwith the 'rails A, A', C, and D of the switch-rails H I I', segmental guide-rails F F', turn-table J, and slides G, substantially as specied.

2. The combination, with the rails H I I', of the guide-rails F, and plates G, substantially as speciied. u L

`presence of twowitnesses.

hi LEONARD -i-s MIDDLETON.

mark.

` JAMES B. CARY.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. PENN, J. M; DARE.` 

